How I Was Saved
by MoonstoneAlchemist
Summary: Handsome prince Izuku has been locked away in a tower since he was captured as a baby by an old man. His magical green hair has the power to provide eternal youth, the man under the alias of 'All for One' uses this power to keep himself young. At the age of 18, Izuku becomes curious about the outside world, and when a thief uses his tower as a refuge, he asks him to help him escape
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

**This is a story of how I was saved.**

The truth is, it's not even my story.

This is the story of a boy named Izuku, and it starts with the sun.

Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens and from this small drop of sun, grew a magic, golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. One man sought the power of the flower, so he was dead set on consuming it to gain the power. That man's younger brother knew that if his brother ate the flower, the power would be in the wrong hands. So he ate it himself.

The older brother was furious, disowning the other entirely. They split ways, the older brother not caring about how he lost the power of the flower. But what the younger brother didn't know, is that the before the flower was consumed the older brother ripped off a petal of the flower which still held a limited but significant amount of power.

The power would run out eventually, but that gave time to the older brother for creating a plan to get the power back in his possession.

The power that the younger brother received could be passed on through generations and generations of people, there being no specific reason why or how, just like how the user had to sing to activate the power. So that's exactly what the power did, it was passed on from person to person, the healing capabilities growing and growing.

Centuries passed, and a boat ride away there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen. The Queen was about to have a baby.

Then she got sick. Really, sick.

She was running out of time, and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a uncommon trait that people possessed called a 'quirk'. The most recent and old quirkholder arrived at the palace, meeting with the king and claiming she didn't have long to live.

So, the power was then transferred over to the king. The king used it to cure the illness the queen possessed, and she was healthy once again.

Months later, a healthy baby boy, a prince was born, with traits exactly like his mother's. Green eyes and dark green hair. That's Izuku.

To celebrate his birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. For that one moment, everything was perfect.

And then that moment ended.

The King had decided to entrust the powerful healing quirk inside of his newborn child, hiding it and protecting it from anyone who had gotten suspicious of the sudden recovery of the queen.

The older brother who had originally sought out the power had gotten work of the quirk spreading to the King, and of the ceremony to transfer the quirk.

The older brother snuck into the castle

Then he realized it wouldn't be as easy as he thought. For the quirk to take effect, the holder had to sing the song and have physical contact with the one they wanted to use their quirk for.

The older brother stole the child and just like that–gone.

The kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the prince. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, the older brother raised the child as his own.

The older brother had found his new magic flower, but this time he was determined to keep it hidden.

"Why can't I go outside?"

"The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy,"

But the walls of that tower could not hide everything.

Each year, on his birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost prince would return.

_

The small frog hopped its was outside to the windowsill, then up into a potted plant and disguised in well with the green leaves.

The freckled boy suddenly swung open the wooden doors, shouting a loud "Gotcha!" before looking around. He spot s the frog immediately of course, but decides not to take action. "Well…" He started to speak "I guess Tsu's not hiding out here…"

Tsu snickers, closing her eyes as she does so. Izuku takes the opportunity to reach out and quickly grab her. "Gotcha!" He laughs while Tsu makes a small squeak of surprise. He smiles as he puts her on the edge again, looking down at her. "That's twenty-two for me! Hmm...how about twenty-three out of forty-five?"

Tsu frowned at the idea, shaking her head side to side as to say no to the green haired boy.

Izuku sighed, leaning against the windowsill and "Well, what do you wanna do instead?"

Tsu thought for a second, then jumped up before pointing outside and away from the tall tower with her arm and her tongue stretched out. Izuku sighed, "Yeah, um...I don't think so. I like it in here! I know you do too."

Tsu gave him an unpleasant look and stuck out her long tongue at him in disapproval of his statement. Izuku sighed again in defeat, "Come on Tsu, it's not so bad in there…" He then leaves the window and walks inside.

Izuku then began to sing, something he had gotten into a habit to and didn't notice whenever he started to sing, and Tsu didn't bother to tell him about it.

Izuku sighed softly as he picked up his paintbrush, creating yet another shining lantern in his painting full of them.

The green haired boy looks up at his new painting, putting the final touches on the person sitting atop a green tree with green hair. " _Now that I'm older, Father might just let me go…"_


	2. Chapter 2 - The Wanted and Wants

The thieves slid along the tiled rooftops, making small noises of pottery hitting against the balls of their feet and the palms of their hands. They hopped between chimney and rooftop, scaling the tall castle in search of their entry point.

The leader of the pack, a dashing young man with mismatched red and white hair, grabbed onto the corner of the stone rooftop. He looked down at the town below from the great view of the rooftop, admiring the scenery.

He could get used to this.

One of the accomplices that was traveling with him, a guy with dirty blonde hair and red eyes turned to his leader "Hey! Icy hot!" He yelled with a whisper, "Get your ass in gear, let's go!"

The leader held up a finger to the boy, signaling for his silence. The spiky-haired ball of temper growled at him, another accomplice with spiky red hair putting a hand on his shoulder to calm the other.

Shouto took in the view one more time, taking a deep inhale in and a slow exhale out. Yeah, he was used to it.

"You're going to make us miss our window!" A pink-skinned for whisper shouted, pulling at the back of Shouto's vest and leading him away from the edge.

They opened the panel of the roof without hesitation, tying the rope around Shouto. A black haired accomplice gave a thumbs up while tugging at the rope, signaling that it was secure then handing Shouto a leather satchel to place the goods in.

The four of them held onto the rope, then lowered the leader into the big hall. He slowly went further down into the grand room without a sound, his arms and legs spread for mobility if needed.

Shouto was inches away from the crown, grabbing it swiftly and placing it into the brown satchel. He secured the prize as one of the guards with their backs turned sneezed into his gloved hand.

"Bless you," Shouto mumbled softly, placing the satchel over his shoulder.

"Thanks," The guard mumbled softly while wiping his nose, then quickly realized that there shouldn't be a voice behind him. By the time he looked around, the leader was already gone. By the time the rest of the guards were alerted, the group was already making their escape.

Izuku was smiling brightly as he was collecting his painting materials and placing them back into the small wooden chest which he kept all of his art supplies. "This is it. This is a very big day, Tsu," He chuckled softly, picking the small frog up as she climbed up onto his forearm. "I'm finally gonna do it. I'm gonna ask her."

There was a distant voice that sounded through the room, one that made Izuku gasp. "Izuku!" The deep male voice sounded. "Let down the rope!"

Izuku stood up, looking at the frog who had made her way onto his shoulder. "It's time!" Izuku said excitedly, with a hint of nervousness.

Tsu puffed out her chest and sat tall, showing him that he should be brave and have confidence in his actions. Izuku chuckled softly at the frog's encouragement "I know, I know, come on, don't let her see you!"

Izuku pulled the curtain together and covered his new painting, Tsu clinging onto it and hiding behind it at the same time.

"Izuku! I'm not getting any younger down here!" The voice sounded again, getting impatient.

Izuku ran to the window, leaning out of it and shouting down "Coming, Father!" He grabbed the rope that hung right next to the window and hung it over the hook that rested at top of the window frame. He lowered the very long rope down, his father hanging onto it as Izuku pulled him up.

Once his father was pulled up and climbed through the window, Izuku gave him a bright smile and welcomed him home with a cheerful "Welcome home, Father!"

His father sighed, pulling down the hood of his cloak and stepping down from the windowsill. He looked at Izuku "I don't even know how you manage to do that every single day," He commented, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Izuku chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck and reeling with a small "Oh, it's nothing,"

His father's sarcasm grew as he walked further into the tower "Then I don't know why it takes so long~" He spoke with a slight sing song tone to his voice as he walked over to the mirror on the other side of the room. Izuku was silent, then his father sighed again. "It was a joke, Izuku,"

Izuku chuckled nervously again, "Hehehe...right…" He mumbled before taking a deep breath and waking over to his father. "So, Father, as you know tomorrow is a very big da-"

The green haired boy was cut off by his father, his voice calling out to him as he looked over himself in the mirror. "Izuku, I'm feeling a bit run down. Would you sing for me? Do that, then we'll talk."

Izuku blinked for a second then smiled "Oh! Yes Father!" He then quickly ran off then grabbed his father's chair and brought it to the center of the room. He centered it just right before going to fetch the small stool he sat on, placing it down in front of the chair. He then ran off again, grabbing the brush his father always used and then came straight back. He placed the brush in his father's hand and sat his father down all before sitting down on the stool he had placed down for himself.

Izuku then sat up tall, closing his eyes tightly and starting to sing the song at a rapid fast pace. His hair started to turn into and glow a bright shade of gold. " _Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what on-"_

His father widened his eyes, "Wait!" He shouted, grabbing the boy's hair and scrambling to brush it.

Izuku kept singing, keeping his eyes closed and ignoring his father's plea to get him to slow down. " _-ce was mine, heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, safe what has been lost, bring back what once was mine-"_

His father started to get frustrated with him, even though the singing did ultimate have an effect on his appearance and overall age. "Izuku!" He shouted, looking at him.

Izuku turned around his glowing and golden hair turning back into his normal and encaptivating dark green hair, leaning forward and standing up. "So, Father, earlier I was saying tomorrow's a pretty big day…. and you….didn't really respond, so I'm just gonna tell you….it's my birthday! Uh…. Tada?"

His Father sighed, crossing his arms. "Nope, can't be. I remember clearly, your birthday was last year," He spoke with his sarcastic tone again, glancing up at Izuku as he sat on his chair.

Izuku chuckled nervously, replying with a hesitant tone "That's the funny thing about birthdays….—they're kind of an annual thing!" Izuku smiled then sighed, sitting back down on his stool and looking up at his Father. "Uh….Father... I'm turning eighteen, and I wanted to ask...what I really want for this birthday…" Izuku started to mumble, a thing he would frequently do and go off on tangents doing "Actually what I really wanted for quite a few birthdays now, maybe from f-"

His Father sighed, pinching his temples and shutting his eyes. "Okay, Izuku, please, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling–blah-blah-blah-blah, it's very annoying," He stood up, walking away from Izuku and towards the basket he had brought home.

Izuku sighed, pressing his knees together and looking to the side as he fiddled his thumbs. Tsu was there, behind the leg of a table. She urged him on, nodding her head and making a hand motion to tell him to keep going. Izuku gave her an awkward smile and took a deep breath before turning to his Father again. "I….! I want to see the floating lights!"

He pauses while picking up a piece of fruit, setting it back down gently into the basket. "Um, excuse me?" He asked, raising a brow.

Izuku jumped a bit, laughing out of anxiety trying to stop him from doing this. "Oh, uh, well…. I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights?"

His Father chuckled a bit, a skeptical tone in his voice as he replied "Ooooh~ You mean the stars,"

Izuku smiles softly looking off to the side "Well, that's the thing.." He then climbed up towards the top of the tower using a ladder, opening up a small window on the roof and pulling back a curtain. Behind a curtain was a layout and mapping of various constellations and stars. "I've charted stars and they're always constant–but these–they appear every year on my birthday, Father–ONLY on my birthday. And I can't help but feel like they're… they're meant for me," He walked over to his new painting of himself looking up at the floating lights with hope and wonder. He then looked over to his Father, who was turning away from him. "I need to see them, father, and not just from my window….In person…..I have to know what they are…"

His Father walked towards the window, looking back at him "You want to go outside? Oh Izuku…" He proceeds to shut the shutters of the window, preventing light from coming in through that part of the room. He then walked over to Izuku.

His father then started to warn Izuku through the use of scary images and dark tones to instill fear in Izuku

Izuku's father walked up to him, looking down at him intensely "Izuku?" Izuku's knees trembled slightly, looking up at his father and replying with a small 'yes'. His glare hardened, his voice depended as he places his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Don't ever ask to leave this tower, again,"

Izuku looked down at the floor to avoid eye contact with his Father, disappointed but replying to him with a loyal "Yes, Father…"

His father's face softened, patting Izuku's shoulder with a small smile. Izuku flinched slightly at the pat, but it was small enough so it wasn't noticeable. "That's my boy," He pulled his hand away, stepping back and looking at Izuku. " _Father knows best."_


	3. Chapter 3 - Horses and Hideouts

The band of thieves made their way through the forest, running for the royal guard with the stolen goods in tow. Shouto led the way, running at a full sprint. A wanted poster caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly ripped it off a tree and looked at it while coming to a slow stop.

He looked down at it, clicking his tongue in distaste. The sketch of himself on the poster looked nothing like him. His nose was far too...too big and wide for his face. His nose didn't look like that at all. The pink skinned thief, Mina, looked over his shoulder and laughed out loud. "Guys, guys!" She shouted, stifling a laugh. "They got his nose wrong again!"

The spiky red haired thief, Kirishima, widened his eyes and laughed "Ha! No way!" He also looked over Shouto's shoulder. He laughed out loud once he saw the sketch "Oh man, that's priceless!"

The black haired thief, Sero, pushed Mina to the side and also looked at the poster. He, like everyone else, proceeded to laugh about it. "Dude! At this point it's just kinda like making fun of him!"

The final blonde and hot-tempered thief, Bakugo, smirked. "I bet they are making fun of him!" He started to comment "He's just a worthless leader who only got his fame from his stupid dad!"

Shouto proceeded to fold the paper up and put it in his satchel, his attention leading to the loud whinnie of a horse from the hill above them, the horde of royal guards being led by a top ranking knight on top of a steed with shining navy blue hair. The group then began to run again, Bakugo cursing under his breath as they sprinted forwards. After running a few more feet, the group found themselves at the bottom of a very tall and steep wall. Shouto stood there looking at the wall.

Bakugo clicked his tongue, crossing his arms. "What are we going to do now, useless leader?" He asked, a mocking tone to his voice. Shouto glared softly while thinking of a plan.

He then turned to the rest of his group, and spoke clearly for them. "You four will give me a boost up, then I'll pull you guys up," He explained. The group raised a brow at this idea, but didn't question it, Bakugo may have been brooding a little, but it was left unnoticed as they formed a sturdy and tall tower of people. Shouto was at the top, and managed to climb up over the wall and safely get to the top.

Bakugo, who was now on the top reached his hand up to Shouto "Now pull us up!" He snapped at him, glaring. Shouto looked down at them for a second, pondering what to do as he adjusted the strap of the brown leather satchel. Shouto stood up fully, looking down at them and shrugging. Hw then turned around and started heading in the opposite direction. "What the- pull us up!" Bakugo shouted.

Shouto paused from his walking away just to turn back and look Bakugo straight into his eyes as he made his comeback from the insults thrown at him previously. "Sorry, I'm not strong enough, I'm just a useless and pathetic leader who only got my fame from my father." Shouto then turned back around then proceeded to start and jog away,

Bakugo widened his eyes then glres, growling lowly before letting out a giant scream. "TODOROKI!"

Shouto kept sprinting through the forest, trying to lose the palace guards. He moved with precision, turning around corners and trying to create a long and complicated path that the guards would have to follow. A few seconds later, the guards and their horses came barreling behind him.

The guard in command, a man with long black hair, bags under his eyes, and a scruffy beard shouted out orders to his men. "Retrieve that satchel at any costs!" He shouted. His men replied with a uniform 'yes sir'.

The guard's trusted horse, then neighed out commands to his fellow horses who were chasing with him. The command was the exact same as his rider said it, and the horses replied with a neigh that meant the same thing their riders said.

They were hot on Shouto's tail as they pulled out their crossbows. They aimed and fired, Shouto sliding under a fallen tree to narrowly avoid the arrows as they struck the dead wood. Shouto kept running, sliding, turning corners to avoid being caught by the guards or by being hit with one of their arrows. He then jumped through a series of tree branches that narrowed the path. The other riders and horses got blocked and stuck, but the commander and his steed jumped through and kept pursuing the culprit.

The black haired rider raised his crossbow, shouting down words of encouragement to his horse. 'We got him now, Iida!" he spoke. Iida, the horse, replied with a reassuring and confident neigh and ran faster.

Shouto ran faster to try and stay ahead, then got a clever idea. He grabbed onto a nearby vine, leapt up into the air and swung around the base of a tree, colliding with the rider and knocking him off Iida. Iida didn't notice this at first, and kept running. Once he looked back and saw the thief though, he glared and immediately stopped. He quickly glared at Shouto.

Shouto was not amused, using the hell of his boot to kick at Iida to try and get him moving. 'Hey, come on. Let's move," Shouto spoke to Iida while holding onto the satchel with his hand. Iida looked down at the movement of the satchel swinging back and forth, then attempted to grab it with his teeth. Shouto moved the bag back just in time tough. But Iida kept trying to get the satchel, going around in circles with Shouto on his back while reaching for the bag with his teeth. Iida succeeded in grabbing it, and Shouto pulled back. The force of the two's pulling made he satchel fly up into the air and onto a hanging tree branch, over a very steep and high up cliff that overlooked the forest.

The two looked at each other before Shouto quickly pushed Iida back as he hopped off the saddle, scrambling towards the satchel. They played a game of leap frog to try and stop the other from getting the bag before they reached the actual branch. Shouto clung to Iida's head and Iida threw him off, leaving Shouto hanging on the bottom of the branch by his hands and feet.

Iida glared and started to walk forward, trying to step on Shouto's hands to get him to let go and fall. Shouto moved them just in time out of the way of each step though, barely avoiding a crushed finger.

Shouto eventually made his way to the end of the branch, grabbing the satchel before the wood make a large cracking noise. The two widened their eyes and looked at each other before the branch broke off and they started to plummet down.

The branch they were hanging onto split in half after a collision with a piece of stone that was protruding out of the side of the cliff. They both flew in different directions from each other, so they were spread apart from each other as they landed on the forest floor.

Once Iida had landed, he shook it off immediately and started searching for Shouto by using his accurate and powerful nose. He kept walking forward, smelling the grass in search for a trace. He took a right turn at a large boulder in front of a huge wall of green vines.

Shouto popped out from behind the boulder once Iida had turned and was a safe distance away. He went to put his hand on what he thought was solid rock, but was surprised to find that his hand went through the curtain of green. He heard the approaching neigh of Iida, so he decided to take a chance and go through the vines and hide in the small cave.

Shouto saw the shadow of Iida through the curtain of leaves, then was relieved when he slowly began to walk away. He checked down at his satchel to make sure everything was still in there before proceeding to travel to the other side of the cave.

When he got to the other side of the cave, he widened his eyes as he saw a tall tower in the center of a beautiful clearing, hidden by the sound of a rushing waterfall and the tall walls surrounding it. Shouto started to head towards the tower, looking around at his surroundings. Inside of that tower would be the best place to lay low until the guards had left the area or retreated back.

The half and half haired boy searched around for a tool to get him up the stone walls of the tower. He eventually stumbled on two arrows. He could use these. So, he made his way to the base of the tower and stuck one arrow into the wall and pulled himself up, then stuck the other arrow into the wall, pulling the arrows out and piercing them back in as he made his way up the tower

He quickly made it to the top of the tower, climbing through the open window by swinging his legs through first and planting his feet. Shouto then turned around, shutting the doors to the window and making it darker in the room. He breathed a sigh of relief before taking of his satchel "I should be safe here…" He mumbled softly.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, he heard a loud ring and a massive pain shot through the back of his head. He closed his eyes, becoming dizzy and falling over before proceeding to pass out as his world went black.


	4. Chapter 4 - I Love You Most

Izuku widened his eyes and yelped in fear, holding the cast iron skillet in his hands. He then backed away and hid behind a mannequin, peeking up over it to look at the intruder he had just knocked out with a pan. He went out from hiding slowly and cautiously, walking towards the stranger with his skillet pointed directly at him.

The green haired boy started to look over the intruder with curious eyes, taking in every detail down from his half red and half white hair to the rugged clothes he was wearing. Izuku then poked him a couple of times with the skillet, just to make sure he was actually down for the count. When the intruder didn't respond, Izuku looked over to Tsu who was sitting on the floor next to him. She just gave the freckled boy a shrug, not knowing what to do in this situation.

Curiously, but cautiously, Izuku used the pan to move the man's head to the side to take a look at his face. Tsu makes a small noise to get Izuku's attention again, and he proceeded to look over. Tsu used her fingers to make pointy teeth and then pointed at the man to try and tell him to check for the pointy teeth his father had mentioned earlier. Izuku nodded and slowly lifted the upper lip of the stranger, confused but slightly relieved when his teeth looked normal.

Izuku then used the handle of the skillet to brush a piece of red hair out of the others' face, widening his eyes when he saw the large scar that surrounded his left eye. Izuku immediately started to feel sorry for the stranger, wondering how much that had to hurt and where he got it from. The freckled boy visibly relaxed, leaning more forward to get a better look at the scar and his face.

Then suddenly, the quick opening of a blue eye that was surrounded by scar startled Izuku. The green-eyed boy quickly scrambled to get a firm grip on the pan again, smacking the intruder and knocking him out once more.

Izuku then proceeded to take precautionary measures, tying the intruder up with a spare rope he found in his room. He then proceeded to start trying to shove the knocked out boy into his closet. He tried multiple times, each time a different way of having him stay in the closet and being able to shut the door. Izuku sighed when he finally was able to shut the door, then scrambled to find something to keep the door shut.

The green haired boy brought a wooden chair over to the door, propping the back of it up against the handles. He then cautiously pointed the frying pan towards the closet just in case the intruder suddenly popped out of the closet.

"Okay, okay, okay…" Izuku started to mumble to himself "I've got a person in my closet. I've got a person...in my closet….I've got...a person...IN..my closet….I got a person, in my closet!" The freckled boy laughed at his accomplishment, looking at himself in the nearby mirror and brushing off his frying pan.

Izuku then laughed to himself, tripling the frying pan esteem his fingers while looking smugly in the mirror "Can't handle myself out there Father? Why don't you try telling that to my frying pa-" Izuku was cut short by the backfire of his frying pan twirling tricks, the cast iron striking him right in the head.

He winced and let out a hiss of pain as he rubbed the tender piece of his scalp, the ringing from the frying pan reverberating in his ears.

His gaze in the mirror shifted slightly, looking behind him then onto the floor. He spotted a glint of something sparkly, and he gazed in the mirror with squinted eyes to pick out what it was.

He then turned around and warily walked over to the satchel, slowly picking up the object inside. Upon closer inspection, he saw jewels meticulously placed and the metal of the piece crafted and stylized.

But the question was..what was it? Izuku hadn't seen anything like this before.

He kept his gaze on the crown mumbling softly to himself. "Well...This could be some sort of bracelet but the circumference would probably be too wide for a wrist, it also could be a necklace but I see no opening for a class or anything and there's no way someone could get this over their head...or maybe it's some sort of belt? But like I noticed before there's no latch...but maybe there's some sort of mechanism here to let me unhook something from something else, or maybe-"

Izuku was cut off by the squeal of Tsu, sitting on the floor in front of him. She made a circular shape with her hands and pretended to place something on her head. She knew she had to stop him now, or he would mumble for the next few hours of allowed.

Izuku widened his eyes "Oh! Maybe it's a hat, nice job Asui!" Tsu scrunched her eyes, looking up at Izuku with a glare. He looked off to the side, scratching the back of his head "Oh, sorry, Tsu."

Tsu then nodded as a form of forgiveness. Izuku gave her a small smile before turning towards the mirror and getting close to it. He slowly placed the object on top of his head, the metal perfectly fitting on top of his crazy green hair.

Something just clicked in Izuku. The feeling of the sparkly headless resting on top of his head just felt natural.

Tsu looked up at Izuku with widened eyes, taking in how Izuku looked with the crown. He definitely looked like he was someone important, and Tsu definitely could tell that the object on his head was, in fact, a crown.

Izuku was snapped out of his daze by a yell of his father outside "Izuku!" he called out "Pull me up!" Izuku immediately went into fight or flight mode, quickly snatching the crown off of his head and placing it along with the satchel in a nearby pot.

"One moment Father!" He shouted back before going and grabbing the rope that hung next to the window, then attaching it to the hook and letting it fall down.

"I have a surprise for you!" He shouted, looping his foot around the end of the rope.

"Umm.." Izuku began to speak as he pulled up the rope, lifting his father up "I do too!"

His father didn't reply as he was pulled up the rest of the way, climbing in through the window frame as Izuku bunched up the rope and hung it back on the hook next to the frame. Once his father was grounded, he lifted back the cloth on his basket, revealing parsnips.

"I brought back parsnips," He spoke "I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner, your favorite. Surprise." He then walked over to the counter on the other side of the room, unpacking the contents of his basket.

"Well Father, there's something I want to tell you.." Izuku spoke, standing behind him with his hands behind his back.

"Yes, go on," His father spoke in a monotone voice, carefully placing the parsnips to the side.

"Okay…I've been thinking about what you said earlier and-" He started to speak, but was cut off quickly by his father.

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars," He spoke in a stern voice, his grip on a parsnip tightening. "Because I really thought we dropped the issue."

"Floating lights and I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there.." Izuku spoke, slowly inching back towards the closet.

"Izuku, I know for a fact you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there," He spoke, his back turned to Izuku as he spoke and as Izuku inches closer to the closet.

"But if you just-" He started to speak.

"Izuku, we're done talking about this-"

"Trust me-"

"Izuku-"

"I know what I'm saying-" Izuku put his hand on the chair barricading the closet door.

"Izuku-"

"Oh, come on-"

"Enough of the lights Izuku!" He shouted, turning around and looking at Izuku as he lost his temper. "You are not leaving this tower! Ever!"

Izuku was stunned by the yelling, his whole body seeming to freeze from the confrontation. It was silent for a few seconds as Izuku slowly took his hand off the chair. He looked down at the floor and started to break the silence.

"All I was going to say, Father, is that…" He sighed softly "I know what I want for my birthday now…"

"And what is that?" His father replied in an angry and skeptical tone.

"New paint…?" Izuku spoke meekly, shyly looking up at his father from his place in front of the closet. "The paint from the white shells you once brought me…?"

The old man sighed impatiently, reaching a hand up to massage his temples "Well, that's a long trip Izuku.." He glanced up at him "Almost three days time."

Izuku looked to the side, a soft smile playing on his lips as he tried to coax his father into going out "I just thought...it was a better idea than….stars."

His father let out a tired groan "Ugh," He then walked up to Izuku, putting a hand on his shoulder "You're positive you'll be alright on your own?"

Izuku looked up at him and nodded, his soft smile turning into one of sadness "I know I'll be safe as long as I'm here."

So, his Father got ready to go with Izuku packing all of the essentials into his basket. He handed the basket and lowered his Father down to the grass down below. Izuku sent him off with a wave.

"I'll be back in three days' time. Don't forget, I love you."

"I love you more."

" _I love you most."_


	5. Chapter 5 - The Deal

Once his father was gone, he immediately went over to the closet. He slowly and cautiously removed the chair and put it away from the closet with his frying pan in hand. He hid behind the chair that he had pulled away, pointing his weapon towards the closet.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and mumbled a soft "Okay," To himself to prepare for whatever might happen if he let the guy in the closet loose.

He closely tiptoed towards the closet, opening it quickly before shrieking and running back behind the chair. The man fell out of the closet, landing face first on the stone floor.

Izuku then slowly walked over to him, holding his frying pan in defense as he checked to make sure that the handsome stranger was still unconscious. He peered down at him mumbling a soft "Huh…"

He then quickly and carefully got the man into the green chair he barricaded the closet with, and used his trusty rope to skillfully tie him up. He used knots that were tricky to get out of, so the man would have trouble getting out.

Tsu hopped up onto the stranger's shoulder, glaring at him slightly. She then turned around and kicked him in the cheek with her hind legs to wake him up, but that didn't seem to work.

She then turned around and simply slapped his face, but that didn't seem to work either.

So, she stood right next to his ear, and quickly stuck her tongue inside of it. That seemed to wake him up, a jump running through the man's body as Tsu quickly jumped off of him in surprise.

Shouto was immediately alert as he woke up, looking at his surroundings to see where he was. The room he was in was dark the only light was coming from a window in the roof above him.

He then looked down at his body, his arms and legs were intricately bound to a chair. He tried to wriggle his way out of it to test the strength of the knots, but the struggle was pointless. Whoever tied him up knew how to tie knots, and was very good at it too.

Izuku was hidden in the shadows in the corner of the room "Struggling…" he started to speak, very scared but trying to act confident, and act like he knew what he was doing. "Struggling is pointless!"

Shouto was confused, and could tell from the stranger's tone of voice that he was definitely scared. He recognized that tone all too well.

"I know why you're here!" Izuku shouted, holding a frying pan in front of him in defense as he slowly started to emerge out of the darkness. "I'm not...afraid of you!"

Shouto raised a brow in confusion trying to see the speaker from inside the darkness. He mumbled a soft "What..?"

Izuku slowly emerged out of the darkness, holding his frying pan close to him as he stood tall and tried to look intimidating, a slight glare on his face as he stepped forward. "Who are you?" He started to ask, his grip on his frying pan tightening. "and how did you find me?"

Shouto was speechless. He was dazed for a few moments as he looked at the person who had revealed himself. Dark green hair, bright green eyes, and some freckles that were littered across his cheeks. He didn't reply, which caused Izuku to probe further.

"Who are you?" He spoke more firmly, getting closer to him "and how did you find me?" He raise the frying pan behind his head, ready to strike if necessary.

Shouto debated on telling him his name or not, but decided to give the information the stranger wanted so he wouldn't be struck with a frying pan again.

"My name is Shouto," He replied bluntly, looking up at him.

Izuku furrowed his brow, thinking of another question as he held his frying pan out towards him in a threading position "Who else knows my location, _Shouto_?"

Shouto sighed looking up at Izuku straight in the eye to get his point across and to try and get himself out of this situation. "Look, I was in a situation causing me to run through the forest to seek shelter. I came across your tower, and-" He widened his eyes, in sudden realization that one of his possessions was nowhere to be seen. He looked around quickly for it, then looked up at Izuku "My satchel. Where is it?"

Izuku gave him a smug smile, crossing his arms and lifting his chin. "I've hidden it! Somewhere you'll never find it~" He looked up at the ceiling, in a victory stance.

Shouto took one more long glade around the room, and his eyes stumbled on a piece of big and hollow pottery. He gestures over to it with his head "It's in that pot, isn't it." He stated, matter of factly.

A few seconds later the sound of an iron frying pan smacking against a skull sounded throughout the tower, echoing into the clearing outside.

The next thing Shouto knew is that he felt something slimy in his ear, he opened his eyes with throbbing headache as he looked over to Tsu, who had her tongue in his ear.

He jumped in surprise, and a Tsu jumped off of him with a grin on her small frog face.

Shouto was irritated now, rubbing his ear against his shoulder to try and get the wet feeling out of his ear. "Would you stop that?" he spoke, annoyed.

Izuku looked at him with another smug grin " _Now_ it's hidden where you'll never find it,"

Shouto let out a small grunt of disapproval as Izuku started to circle around him and a confident and smug tone. "So, what do you want to do with my hair?" He asked. His hair? Shouto didn't understand why the green haired boy would ask that question.

"To cut it off and take it?" Izuku questioned.

"What?" Shouto responded in disbelief.

"To sell it?" Izuku pushed further, bringing the frying pan close to Shouto's neck. Shouto tilted his head back slightly in response before verbally replying.

"Why would I want your hair?" Shouto started to reply. "Why would you think I want your hair?"

Izuku looked at him, confused. So this man, Shouto, didn't break into the tower to take him away for his hair? "So…" he started to ask in disbelief "You don't want my hair..?"

"Why on earth would I want your hair?" Shouto spoke, clearly confused. "Look, I was being chased, I saw your tower, and climbed to hide. Then that bring us to now."

"You're…" Izuku spoke softly, not knowing if he could trust Shouto's words at all "telling the truth…?"

"Yes," Shouto replied simply to get his point across faster.

Izuku looked at him skeptically, and Tsu did as well. She was perched on Izuku's shoulder, and gazed at Shouto to try and intimidate him. Shouto did have to admit, the small frog could be very intimidating. But it was just a frog.

Izuku then sighed and went into the corner, looking down at Tsu who was sitting in his cupped hands. "I know I need someone to take me..." he whispered to Tsu who was speaking at him. "I think he's telling the truth too…"

Shouto watched then from his spot on the chair, trying to peer over and get a better look. Was he...really having a conversation with a frog? An actual response to the frog's squeaks?

"He doesn't have fangs," Izuku pointed out to Tsu, which was returned by Tsu giving him a speak of disbelief back. "I know, but what choice do I have….?" He sighed, standing up straight. "Okay, Shouto" he spoke loud and clear, turning around to face him "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" Shouto asked, skeptically.

"Look this way." Izuku spoke while walking over to the side of the room. He climbed up on top of the fireplace, pulling back a red curtain and revealing his painting of the floating lanterns. "Do you know what these are?" He asked.

Shouto looked confused "You mean...the lantern tradition they do for the princess?" Why of all things would he be asking about that?

Izuku felt his heart well up inside form happiness, his suspicions were correct. "They are lanterns…" he mumbled softly to himself. "I knew they weren't stars…" He smiled before regaining his composure and clearing his throat. "Well, tomorrow evening, they will light the night sky with these..lanterns.." He pointed his frying pan at Shouto "You! Will take me outside, take me to see the lanterns, then return me home safely. Then! And only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal!"

He sighed softly looking up at Izuku "I can't do that," he started to reply. "The kingdom and I aren't aren't exactly allies or friends at the moment so I won't be taking you anywhere."

Izuku looked at him skeptically, hopping down from on top of the fireplace. "Something brought you here, Shouto." He then walked closer to him. "Call it what you will, fate, destiny-"

"A horse." Shouto mumbled quietly.

"-I have made the decision to trust you." He kept inching forward with every word "But trust me, when I tell you this!" He got up in Shouto's face, a determined gleam in his eye "You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help you will never find your precious satchel."

Izuku stared directly into Shouto's eyes for a moment, before realizing how close he was to him. A light blush spread across his cheeks as he pulled away, but then he quickly regained his composure.

"So…" Shotuo started to reply, in an exasperated tone. "If I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, then you'll give me back my satchel?"

"I promise." Izuku said firmly. "And when I promise something, I never _ever_ break that promise. Ever."

Shouto thought over his options, before letting out a sigh "Fine. I'll take you to see the lanterns."

"Really?!" Izuku shouted, his determined and serious face, turning into a happy and cheerful one.

Shouto nodded in defeat, looking up at him. Shouto's father wouldn't be happy with this. Neither would Izuku's father.


	6. Chapter 6 - Internal Conflict

Shouto was climbing down the tower with the two arrow he used to climb up with, taking his sweet time to minimize the risk of falling down to the firm grass below.

"Hey, are you coming Izuku?" He yelled up to the green hair boy, who was still standing in the window frame with a rope in hand and his frying pan tucked safely under his arm.

He peered down at the grass below, his curiosity rising but his loyalty to his father holding him back.

Izuku looked back onto the room of his tower, glancing over the painting of himself sitting and looking at the lights he had dreamed about seeing for years.

Tsu, who was resting on Izuku's shoulder, looked up at gave Izuku a firm nod of approval, and motivation to leave the confines of the tower. Izuku smiled back at her, nodding as well.

He then hooked the rope on and threw it down the side of the tower. Shouto paused his climbing to look at the rope that was falling, then back up at Izuku.

Izuku smiled happily as he jumped and started to slide down the rope, getting closer and closer to the ground. Shouto ducked his head so he wouldn't get hit by a fast approaching Izuku as they made their way to the ground.

Just before he hit the ground, Izuku stopped and hung his feet just inches above the grass. He then slowly lowered his feet to the grass, looking down at it with curiosity.

He felt his breath get caught in his throat when he felt the soft blades of the abundant green plant prickle at the bottoms of his feet. He widened his eyes, a big smile spread across his face. He fell to his knees, feeling the grass between his fingers and brushing against the palm of his hand.

His gaze drifted to a white and puffy dandelion, watching it sway softly in the wind. A huge gust of wind started to blow the pieces of the dandelion away, and Izuku stood up to follow them.

As he was running, he felt his feet accidentally step into the cold pond, the feeling refreshing his whole body. He reached down, dipped his fingers in the water and then threw some water looking up to feel the droplets hit his face.

As he was looking up, a small blue bird singing at him caught his eye and he started to follow it, smiling and then starting to run towards the exit, free as the bird he had his eyes on.

Izuku ran past the wall of vines and exited the clearing area that his tower was hidden in, his arms outstretched as he took a big breath in of the crisp forest air.

"This is when my life begins!" Izuku laughed happily, spinning around in a circle to celebrate his new found freedom. Shouto just passed the wall of leaves and vines, looking at Izuku spinning around like a complete dork.

Shouto couldn't help but have a small smile on his lips.

"I can't believe I did this!" Izuku exclaimed, laughing. He then stopped his spinning suddenly, widening his eyes. "I can't believe I did this.. Father would be furious…."

—

Izuku sat on a large rock in the middle of a small pond, a handful of flowers resting in his palms as he gazed down and admired them. He mumbled into the flowers, Shouto standing off in the distance behind him.

"I mean, that's okay...What he doesn't know won't exactly kill him…"

—

Izuku was sitting, hugging his knees to his chest in the center of a pitch black cage. Shouto was standing outside of the cage, looking in at Izuku.

"Oh god.. This would kill him…"

—

Izuku was standing, his head rested against the rough brown bark of the tree, pieces of the wood lodging their way into his hair. Shouto was looking up at him, staying silent.

"I am a horrible son. I'm going to go back."

—

Shouto sat next to Izuku, looking over at him with his chin rested on his hand in a slight impatience. Izuku was laying face down into the grass, his arms laid beside him.

"I am a despicable human being,"

—

Izuku was crying into his palms, crying softly as his back was pressed up against a rock that was dusted with moss.

Shouto had finally gotten the initiative to step in, to try and coax the other to go. They had a deal, after all, once he took him he would get his satchel.

And, with the moral dilemma that Izuku seemed to be having, he couldn't have the urge to help him in some way.

He kneeled down next to Izuku, speaking softly "I couldn't help but notice that you're having a moral dilemma with yourself here,"

"Huh?" Izuku questioned, lifting his face out of his palms and looking up at Shouto with tears eyes. Shouto felt a painful pang in his heart when he saw Izuku's face.

"I'm picking up just bits and pieces. Protective father, forbidden road trip, it's important things," Shouto started to reply. "It's just part of becoming more mature, something that has to happen at some point,"

Izuku sniffled softly, wiping the tears from his cheeks softly "R….Really?" He questioned softly.

Shouto nodded, slowly reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It might hurt your father that you're doing it, but now is the time where you think for yourself. Don't do what your father says, and to go see the light. Don't let yourself stop you,"

Izuku widened his eyes and Shouto's explanation of his feelings. He then wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes nodding. "Yeah….you're right!"

Shouto nodded, getting up and walking over to the rock where Izuku's frying pan and Tsu were sitting. Izuku stood up, fully wiping off his face.

Shouto picked Tsu up, Tsu responded with an unhappy noise as she was brought over to Izuku. "Here, pan, chameleon." He spoke, putting the frying pan between Izuku's arm and his body and placing Tsu on Izuku's shoulder.

Tsu glared from the misidentification on Shouto's part.

Izuku was about to correct him but was cut off by the rustling of a bush near them. Izuku immediately tensed up, going over to Shouto and jumping onto them. He had his legs wrapped around Shouto's waist, one of his arms wrapped around Shotuo's shoulders and the other pointing his frying pan at the bush.

"Is it ruffians, thugs? Have they come for me?!" Izuku shouted, Tsu peeking out at the bush from on top of the green haired boy's shoulder.

A couple of seconds later, a small rabbit hopped out of the bush and looked up at the three with cute and large eyes.

"Stay calm," Shouto started to respond, sarcastically with a monotone voice "It can smell fear."

Izuku sighed in relief as he released the sounds as only just a rabbit, climbing off of Shouto as he mumbled a soft "Oh.." Izuku looked up at Shouto with a soft blush on his cheeks "Sorry...guess I'm just a little bit...jumpy.." Izuku looked over at Tsu for a split second. Tsu was not amused.

Shouto fixed his clothes, making them presentable again after the big fiasco that just happened. "We should probably avoid roughians and things though." He replied.

Izuku chuckled nervously, his hand stretching the back of his head "Yeah…" he replied, "That would probably be best.."

Shouto looked off to the side for a moment thinking. Wait. If he could somehow scare him into going back home...he could get his satchel back quicker.

He then turned to Izuku, asking him a question. "It's about noon, are you hungry? I know a place we could go to for lunch."

Izuku looked at him, slightly confused and letting out a small laugh "Where?" He asked.

Shouto chose not to reply with a straightforward answer, giving a broad answer instead.

"You'll know it when you smell it,"

—

Iida has a job to do, and he wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him. He sniffed each blade of grass carefully, looking for the scent of the criminal, Shouto.

He then came across a poster that was stuck to the trunk of a tree, the sheet showing the wanted man Shouto. Iida didn't recognize the drawing at first but then raised a hoof to cover those nose.

That was definitely him.

Iida grabbed onto the paper with his mouth and ripped it off the tree aggressively. He shredded the paper in his teeth, making clear of his viewpoint on the thief.

His ear raised when he heard the snap of a branch nearby. Had he finally found the thief?! He quickly dashed behind a rather large block, hiding and pulling a nearby tree branch down to hide. The shape of the two things combined conveniently looking like a horse.

When the proper moment struck, Iida jumped out behind the rock and got into a defensive position. He looked at the stranger, the man not being the one he was looking for. He pouted softly and looked down in anger.

All for One, Izuku's Father, was slightly startled by the horse jumping out in front of him. He sighed though, resting his hand on his hip when he realized it was just a horse.

"Oh, just a palace horse.." He mumbled softly to himself. A few seconds later he widened his eyes. "Where's your rider…" He asked no one in particular. He then quickly looked around in search of a rider but to no avail.

"Izuku!" He shouted, starting to turn around from where he came from at full speed ahead.

Iida was left in the dust, confused.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Snuggly Duckling

Shouto led the way to their destination for lunch, with Izuku following him close behind. On the way there, they had struck up some casual conversation that a Shouto had found somewhat helpful.

Helpful, in a way, to know what to not talk about. The rules were, no talking about Izuku's hair, no talking about Izuku's father, no talking about Izuku's tower, or just anything relating to his backstory in general.

Shouto found it a bit strange, but he complied anyway.

They walked down the path and eventually they had reached an establishment with a sign near the path to the entrance. The small cute sign read 'The Snuggly Duckling' and had a rubber duck shape on the sign.

"Here it is," Shouto spoke to Izuku, standing exactly at his side as they looked at the sign then at the building. "Don't worry, very quiet and calm place, good for you,"

Izuku smiled at the thoughtfulness that Shouto seemed to show, the both of them walking down the path then opening the door to the establishment. Once the door was open, Shouto stood behind Izuku to show there was no turning back.

Izuku's eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened, the interior of the Snuggly Duckling looking like a worn down and dark, unkempt bar, full of ruffians and thugs of various sizes and different types of weapons.

The green haired boy quickly got into a defensive position, holding out the frying pan in front of him to protect himself if all of the thugs in the bar started to attack him out of nowhere.

Shouto grabbed Izuku by the shoulders and started to push him deeper into the bar without a word, everyone in the bar looking at them with a scowl. They looked extremely out of place.

As they got further and further into the bar, the overwhelming smell of body odor and beer got stronger and stronger and the number of bodies surrounding them grew and grew.

Eventually, they made it to the back of the bar, right next to the fireplace. Izuku was still in his defensive position, holding his frying pan with all of his might. Tsu hid in the mess of Izuku's green hair.

"You don't look so good," Shouto commented, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "If you can't handle this, I don't think you should keep going on your journey." He started to guide Izuku towards the exit, but the exit door was slammed shut revealing a wanted poster of Shouto on the back of it.

One of the thugs slammed her hand against the poster, looking directly at Shouto. "Is this you?" She looked at him menacingly with her jet black eyes.

Shouto didn't reply, not wanting his words to be used against him.

"Oh yeah, that's him alright!" Another thug walked up to them, the blush on her cheeks and her light brown hair the complete opposite of her thug-like nature and the hook on her hand. She turned to another thug and shouted: "Go find some guards!" She then grabbed onto Shouto's collar with the one hand she had, having a tight grip on it. "Your reward is going to buy me a new hook~"

Another thug with unnaturally big lips grabbed Shouto out of her grasp, holding him away from her. "Hey! I could use that reward more!"

Shouto was then snatched out of his grip, being held down by a roughian with multiple arms. "Yeah! What about me? I'm broke!"

The whole bar then started to fight for Shouto, trying to grab onto him so they could get the reward for his head. Izuku was bumped around in the crowd, trying to get Shouto away from them. "Hey-! Stop-!"

Shouto winced as he was fought for and pulled around in every which way "Guys! We can work this out!" He shouted.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Izuku shouted, trying to make his way to the middle of the crowd to rescue Shouto from the ruffians and thugs. He then mindlessly started to hit some with a frying pan "Let go of my guy!" They didn't seem phased by Izuku's attacks at all.

Eventually, all of the thugs got a hold on Shouto, holding him still so the hooked thug could get a good punch on him. Izuku acted quickly, using the rope he brought with to swing it and wrap around a board on the ceiling. He pulled the board up with the rope then let it swing down, hitting the hook-handed thug in the cranium with a bang.

Everyone went silent in shock, Izuku shouting through the silence "Put him down!" He pulled the rope off of the board and put it back on the small notch of leather he kept it in on his side.

The hooked hand thug didn't seem phased, looking back at Izuku with her fist still pointed at Shouto. Shouto just stayed still as he was held, widening his eyes at what Izuku just did. It was definitely very brave. A light dust of red brushed across his cheeks.

Izuku let out an exasperated sigh and inhaled deeply before starting to explain the situation he was in by shouting while mumbling and mushing his words together "Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

The hooked hand thug pulled her ax out from the holster on her back, then menacingly walked up to Izuku. Shouto was hung on a nearby metal hook that was attached to the wall. Izuku stood his ground as the thug walked closer, her face now nearly inches from his.

"I had a dream, once…" She mumbled longingly, looking into the distance. Without her gaze shifting, she threw her ax towards the blonde accordion player in the corner who with a jump and a glare, started to play the accordion.

The brown haired thug then began to sing her heart out about how she was feared, and her appearance was very intimidating and scary. Her hook just pieced the whole look together.

She had made her way over to the stage on the side of the establishment, stepping onto it then reaching back to press her fingers against the keys of a piano. She sang about her dreams to become a pianist and wanting to be known for her playing rather than her rugged appearance.

The other thugs then started to join in, their attention was taken completely off of Shouto who just stayed hanging on the hook, not really able to do anything about the situation.

The rats in the bar started to bob up and down with the tune of the music, two of them tending next to Tsu. Tsu was slightly weirded out by the rats, but couldn't help herself from bobbing up and down slightly with them.

Another thug approached Izuku, he had blonde hair with a black streak running through it that resembled a lightning bolt. He then started to pour his heart out to Izuku as well. He sung about his appearance, how he didn't look the best and certainly wasn't attractive ut how he wanted to find some love or someone to be by his side.

He handed Izuku a small white flower before going over and sitting in a boat conveniently located in the bar, holding the ore to it and leaning against it longingly. A short purple haired guy was sitting in the boat across from him, opening up a parasol to represent his love interest.

The blonde thug attached the purple haired boy to a string and started to swing him all around the pub, the purple haired boy in a diaper with a bow and arrow to represent Cupid. He swung by Shouto. Shouto didn't seem amused in the slightest.

Everyone started to sing about their own dreams and the dreams of the other thugs and ruffians in the bar.

They all then turned to Shouto who was still hanging on his place of the wall. "What about you?" The brown haired thug said with a menacing tone.

"I'm sorry…" Shouto started to reply in disbelief "Me?"

"Yeah! Your dream!" The blonde haired thug replied, picking up Shouto off of the hook.

Shouto looked at them, crossing his arms and looking at them with a deadpan face. "No. I don't sing." He stated bluntly. As a result, a bunch of swords were jousted towards him, aiming for his head or neck.

The next thing he knew, Shouto looked over at Izuku. Izuku was looking at him with a big smile, seeming to want to know what his dream was and wanting to see him sing.

So, he started to sing. He sung about how he wanted his father just to leave him alone, and how he wanted to be his own person who chose his own path.

Izuku then climbed up onto a bar table, smiling happily as he waved at everyone to get their attention before starting to sing his big heart out about his dreams to see the lanterns on his birthday.

Then everyone chimes in, the layers of voices building and building towards the height of the song.

" _Yes, way down deep inside  
I've got a dream!"_

Their happy song was cut short by the door bursting open, a thug rushing and shouting "I got the guards!"

Shouto reacted quickly, pulling Izuku and Tsu (who was sitting on Izuku's shoulder) aside and out of sight behind the bar counter. A few seconds later, the guards rushed in, the head guard leading the charge.

His dull and tired looking eyes scanned the area, his long and black hair slightly unkempt and the stubble on his five-o-clock shadow clearly visible. "Where's Shouto?" He asked in a demanding tone.

The guard then started to walk in more, searching the whole place for any sign of the wanted thief. "I know he's here. Find him. Turn this whole place upside down if you have to."

Shouto peeked up from behind the bar counter to see what was going on, and saw the rest of the party walk through the door. Specifically, he saw the people who he had previously been working with to steal the crown walking in with handcuffs around their wrists. They did not look happy, especially Bakugo.

Shotuo immediately shrunk back behind the bar counter.

Then suddenly, a familiar hook was held in front of both Izuku and Shouto. She held herself still, but pointed to a secret path with her eyes. She then opened it up, crawling back behind the counter with them to it. "Go." She smiled, looking over at Izuku "Live your dream."

Izuku smiled happily at her, nodding with a determined look on his face. They both then started to crawl through the hole, Izuku making sure that Tsu was still on his shoulder as they went in. She still was.

Izuku looked back at the girl, giving her one last wave before crawling fully into the passageway.

She gave him a nod back.


	8. Chapter 8 - Glows When I Sing

The whinny of a horse from the distance was all it took for the men to be more at ease.

"Iida.." The guard mumbled, hearing it from inside of the Snuggly Duckling.

Iida strutted into the establishment, his nose pressed low to the ground in search of the thief, and where he may have gone. He showered all over the floor, with intense focus until standing up tall. He pushed two thugs aside to clear a path.

"What's he doing?" A guard with long and tall blonde hair and sunglasses asked, confused by the actions of the horse.

The guard in charge pressed a finger to his lips to indicate for him to be quiet.

Iida then put his two front hoofs on the bar counter, whinnying and pointing to behind the bar area. The head guard lifted a brow, looking at Iida with a confused look. Iida seemed to sigh internally before pushing a spout handle on top of the bar with a duck shape on the top of the handle, and a secret passage opened up underneath.

"A passage.." The head guard mumbled, proud that Uuda has managed to find it. "Alright men, let's go." The guards then collectively started to head towards the entrance. Before the main guard went in the passage, he turned to the guard standing with the rest of the squad that Shouto had betrayed.

"Hizashi. Stay here and don't let them get away." He spoke, not really sure if he could do it but it was their best option at the moment.

"Okay, Shouta!" He replied back, looking at him and giving him a casual and playful salute.

Shouta then went into the passageway, Hizashi looked at the criminals. They all smirked at him.

Bakugo jumped up, kicking Hizashi in the stomach and sending him flying, dropping his spear in the process.

Kirishima then picked the weapon up, quickly cutting the weak metal of the cuff on Bakugo's hands, then proceeded to do the same for Mina and Sero. Once they were free, Bakugo took the spear and cut Kirishima' bindings.

Bakugo then smirked, the big evil grin spreading across his face "Now, let's go get that crown and get revenge on that bastard."

—-

"I got a dream...I got a dream…" The purple haired boy mumbled drunkenly as he stumbled out of the Snuggly Duckling.

He then fell against the outside wall of the place, leaning against it and looking up at the man standing right outside the window.

"Hey, who are you?" He asked with a drunken slur to his voice.

All for One immediately pulled a knife out of his cloak, pressing it against the trait of the purple haired boy. "Tell me where that passage leads to."

The purple haired boy widened his eyes, mumbling in a high pitched and scared tone "Knife…."

Shouto and Izuku were walking through the hidden passage that was shown to them by the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling, mostly keeping to themselves as they walked deeper and deeper.

Shouto broke the silence with a small mumble, looking over to Izuku. "I have to say," He started to speak "I didn't know you had that in you back in you there. It was...pretty impressive."

He was telling the complete and honest truth, seeing Izuku stand up to his fear of the thugs by walking one in the head with a board from the ceiling just to save him from being hurt...it was pretty amazing. Shouto's cheeks dusted red again.

"I know!" Izuku shouted happily, making Tsu who was on his shoulder jump a bit. He then looked up and off to the side, holding onto his frying pan confidently. "I know..~"

There was silence for a second or two, both of them being awkward and not knowing what to say. "So Shouto…" Izuku started to ask, looking up at him "Where are you from?"

Shouto looked back at him, raising a brow and wondering why Izuku would want to know something like that at a time like this "I live in a hideout west of the Kingdom…" He spoke truthfully. "But I'm more interested in yours." He started to change the subject, not wanting to dwell on his life or pour his soul out to Izuku at the moment. "I know I'm not supposed to ask about why you were so concerned over your hair,"

Izuku nodded, walking along with Shouto "Yeah, that's a secret.." He mumbled with a shy smile on his face.

Shouto continued "Or your father,"

Izuku nodded again in reply, looking up and to the side "Sorry…~"

Shouto sighed softly, looking over at him "I don't think I want to ask about your chameleon.."

Izuku pouted slightly, replying to him with a sigh "She's a frog,"

Shouto looked over at Izuku, looking at him with a genuine curiosity "But what I don't understand is, if you wanted to see these lanterns for such a long time, why haven't you gone before?"

The green haired boy widened his eyes softly before looking down and to the side "I, um…well….—" he was cut off by the sudden rumbling sound that surrounded them in the passage, small pebbles bouncing against the stone ground.

Shouto and Izuku looked back behind them with wide eyes, watching at the sudden group of Royal Guards running towards them with a great speed. Izuku widened his eyes more, not knowing what to do. So he shouted to him "Shouto?!"

Shouto was trying to form a plan in his head, trying to figure out what the best thing in this situation would be for them. His thoughts were cut short by Izuku shouting another loud "Shouto?!"

"Run!" He shouted to Izuku in response taking his hand in his and starting to run down the passage at a fast pace to try and escape the guards.

They exited out into a dam area, both of them looking around desperately to figure out where to go next. Their path stopped, they found themselves standing on top of a large cliff area.

They looked down, trying to figure out a way to get down and off the cliff when they spotted a sealed of exit at the bottom of the dam area being broken open by a group of the thieves that Shouto had betrayed, Bakugo, Kirishima, Mina, and Sero. They looked around for him, Bakugo seeming angry beyond belief.

"Who's that?" Izuku asked with worry, looking up at Shouto.

"They don't like me." He spoke bluntly as the guards appeared in their sight behind them, running up towards them.

"Who's that?" Izuku asked again, instinctively backing away from the guards.

"They don't like me either." Shouto bluntly spoke again, gripping onto Izuku's hand tightly to reassure him. Izuku squeezed his hand back.

Iida then came charging in from behind the guards, going up to the front of the crowd. "Who's that?!" Izuku asked again with worry,

Shouto turned to look at him but keeping a defensive position. "Let's just assume that everyone here doesn't like me!"

Izuku looked around for a second, widening his eyes when he came up with an idea. "Here!" He said, placing his frying pan in Shouto's hands and getting out his rope. He swung it so it would wrap around a broken piece of wood, and jumped while holding onto the rope.

A shot of worry zoomed through Shouto's chest as Izuku jumped, but was relieved to see that Izuku had swung safely to the other side of the cliff and far away from the guards and Iida.

The guards then started to approach Shouto, drawing their swords. "You're coming with us," Shouta looked at Shouto directly in the eyes before drawing his sword and walking towards him.

Shouto looked down at the frying pan in his hands and decided to use it to defend himself against the guards. One guard charged towards him but the sword was quickly knocked out of his hand, then Shouto proceeded to hit him upside the head. He did this with all of the guards who approached him until all of them were either unconscious or rubbing their sore and confused heads on the ground.

He looked down at the frying pan in his hands, tossing it back and forth. He made a mental note to himself for later that he had to get himself a frying pan. They were surprisingly good as a defensive weapon.

Then out of nowhere, a sword had swung at Shouto but his reflexed immediately blocked the swing with his frying pan. Looking at the wielder of the weapon, Shouto had noticed that it had belonged to….the horse? But nonetheless, Shouto kept defending himself as best as he could from the horse's blows. In his mind, he got distracted by the fact that he was actually fighting with a horse, This was….probably one of the weirdest things he had ever done….

Eventually, he got too distracted, and Iida the horse had managed to knock the frying pan right out of Shouto's hand and off of the edge of the cliff. A tinge of fear went trough Shouto as he stood there, defenseless against Iida.

But luckily for Shouto, he wasn't alone, "Shouto!" Izuku's voice rang out towards him, which cause him to look back at the green haired boy for a split second. Almost the second he turned around, the rope that Izuku had used to swing off of the cliff was now on his hand. Shouto took this as a sign that he should probably get away from this situation

So, Shouto jumped off the cliff leaving a stunned Iida in his tracks. Izuku tried his best to support Shouto as he swung from his spot on the ledge, using a small piece of metal that had been bolted into the ground to help him support the rope so it wouldn't slip out of his tight grip. The rope, however, was very long, and Izuku may have miscalculated just a bit, Shouto was swinging right for the group of thugs he had betrayed, and the thugs took that as their chance.

The thugs swung at Shouto with their swords, trying to at least cut him as Shouto swung by. However, Shouto was smart enough to lift his body up while he swung and none of the sharp towards managed to cut him. That of course, made the thugs even more angry at them.

Shouto swung safely by, only to hear the sound of a loud banging noise echoing against the stone surrounding them. Izuku looked over at the source of the sound and widened his eyes when he saw the horse knocking down a piece of wood with his back hoofs. The large plank then was knocked loose and fell, making a bridge across the two ledges. The guards and Iida could now walk over to Izuku.

Izuku had to think quick and was trying to figure out what to do before Shouto had called over to him from the spot he had found to stand on a wooden structure that helped facilitate the water flow. "Izuku!" He shouted loudly, holding the rope firmly into his hand "Jump!"

Izuku immediately knew what Shouto was suggesting, and had almost immediately trusted him. Izuku took one last look at Iida and the guards that were slowly approaching before making a run for the edge of the ledge. Izuku then jumped off of it, but Iida was reaching out towards the rope with his teeth. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, Izuku jumping while holding on tightly to the rope and Iida barely missing him by the skin of his teeth.

The green haired boy swung towards the ground with the help of Shouto, his feet skidding across the water once he had landed on solid ground. Once he had landed, Izuku pulled at the rope to indicate Shouto to let go of it, and then he did. Izuku then started to run.

Shouto knew he needed to catch up with Izuku and looked back at the structure he was standing on. If he could just get the timing right….it could work. He jumped into the mechanism, landing on a loose piece of plank wood and practically surfing down it. It felt amazing, that is until Shouto felt the crack of wood underneath him. As soon as he realized what was about to happen, the structure had already started coming down.

He kept his balance and quickly jumped on the large and thick wood siding of the mechanism, hopping for piece to piece until he had gotten close enough to the ground. He jumped down, Izuku watching him with a fear-ridden face. Shouto made the jump, landing and rolling to give him extra support as the wood came crashing down and the water contained by it being set free.

Then, the piece of wood that Iida had knocked down was paying the price, a big crack in the dam from its loss of support now turning into a giant hole as the structure came barreling down and releasing the huge flow of water. The water then started to engulf everyone and anything, including the guards, Iida, and the squad of angry thugs. Luckily, Shouto and Izuku had managed to run as fast as they could to stay ahead of the large body of water. Shouto and Izuku made their way to a small opening in the stone, covered by planks of wood but with openings, they could get in with. They ran inside, Shouto seeing the frying pan and grabbing it before they both went inside.

Then, to their dismay, the entrance and their exit was blocked by a big and impenetrable piece of stone. It may have blocked them from getting out, but it certainly didn't stop the water from getting into their small cave hideout.

The water was filling up quickly, Izuku backing up against the end of the cave to try and get away from the inevitable. The water kept rising as Shouto tried to dive down, to find a way, anyway, to get out of there as quickly as possible. He didn't find anything with the amount of breath he had, so he came back up then dived back down. Then again, and again, desperate to find a way for both of them to escape.

Izuku was helping in his own way as well, using his frying pan to try and chip away at the cave they were surrounded by while Tsu sat on his shoulder in worry. That, as well as Shouto's attempts, proved to be futile. At one point, Shouto tried to push a chunk of rock away but only managed to get himself injured. A large cut now went across the palm of his hand.

Shouto popped up above the water, panting, looking to Izuku who had stopped trying to chip away at the walls. "It's no use….!" Shouto shouted to him, taking in big deep breaths. "I can't see anything down there!"

Izuku looked to Shouto before a determined furrow of his brow was displayed on his face as he tried to dive down there himself to see if there could be any way out. Shouto then quickly pulled Izuku back up out of the water, firmly holding onto his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "Hey! There's no point..!" Shouto spoke to him, gently brushing strands of his hair out of his eyes "It's pitch black down there!"

Izuku then widened his eyes, slightly trembling in Shouto's grip as he started to tear up and hang his head low in defeat. "This is all my fault…: He mumbled softly. "He was right...I should never have done this…I'm so...I'm so sorry Shouto…"

Shouto moved his hands, holding onto Izuku's hands tightly to reassure himself and Izuku while he mumbled softly to him. "Shouto Todoroki…" He spoke to him.

Izuku looked up to Shouto, a soft sniffle as he asked him a soft "What…?"

Shouto sighed softly, looking at Izuku "My full name is Shouto Todoroki, I thought someone other than my family should deserve to know…" Izuku replied to Shouto's truth with a small smile on his face, slightly being comforted by his hands being held and by Shouto telling him more about himself.

Izuku then sniffled, clearing his nose before looking up to Shouto with a sincere, sad, smile. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing." He mumbled to Shouto softly. Shouto widened his eyes at his statement. This...this had to be a joke right? There was no way that could be real.

"What…?" Shouto asked softly with disbelief laced into the voice, still holding onto Izuku's hands with a confused look on his face.

Izuku then slowly came to the realization, that they may find a way out of here. "I have...magic hair the glows when I sing!" He shouted excitedly. Izuku then looked around at the water that was slowly rising around them and noted that he had no time to lose. He began to sing the incantation with little breath, rushing to get through the melody and the words.

Izuku and Shouto then took a big and deep breath before the whole cave was filled with water, being surrounded by nothingness and darkness for a split second before Izuku's hair turned a bright yellow and started to glow. His hair lit up the whole entire cave, making every small rock, every boulder, every crevice clear for both of them to see.

Shouto blinked his eyes open, seeing that Izuku was actually telling the truth...his hair glowed when he sang and he had to admit that it was strange but it also look amazing….His jaw dropped and he lost some air, but he quickly closed it back up to continue to hold his breath. Izuku then opened his eyes, and they both quickly tried to find a way out.

Both of them, at the same time, found a little patch of small and easily moveable rocks. The two looked at each other with a small nod before diving towards the rocks and frantically pulling them out of the way, with Tsu clinging onto Izuku's shirt.

The glow from Izuku's hair started to fade, and they were in darkness once again for a split second. Then, Shouto's hand broke through the wall of rocks and started to push them out of the way. Then, all at once, all of the boulders rushed out from the water pressure and the opening made in the wall, Izuku, Shouto, and Tsu rushing out with the wave of water and into the small lake below them.

They had made it out.


	9. Chapter 9 - Forming Bonds

Izuku, Shouto, and Tsu were all taking deep breaths, laying down in the grass next to the lake they had been washed up into. Shouto of course had wide eyes from the past couple of minutes of his life. He had seen Izuku...with glowing hair...that wasn't normal or natural at all!

"We made it…" Izuku mumbled softly with a tired smile on his face, and through the quiet pants for fresh air.

"His hair glows…" Shouto mumbled softly to himself, then looked over to Tsu who was looking at Shouto with a grin on her face.

"We're alive...We're alive!" Izuku kept speaking, seemingly not hearing Shouto mumble at all.

Shouto kept looking at Tsu "Why….how…..does his hair glow?" He asked, flinching softly and going to hold his injured hand.

Izuku then now heard Shouto's mumbling to Tsu, and decided that if he had shown him the glowing part of his hair...it couldn't hurt to show him what else his hair could do right…? After all, after the whole incident that had just happened in the cave, Izuku felt like he had gotten closer to Shouto and that he could trust him more now.

Izuku looked at Shouto, giving a soft sigh before speaking "Todoroki…" He mumbled softly, and Shouto instantly looked over to him from the use of his last name "It doesn't just glow…"

Shouto widened his eyes softly, the ability for his hair to glow is an event in it of itself but now he was being told that Izuku's hair could to more than just glow…? He looked down at Tsu, who had a smug grin on her face and Shouto couldn't help but wonder why she was smiling like that.

The end of the path of the Snuggly Duckling consisted of a wooden hatch with a yellow painted duck on it, that was conveniently placed inside of a hollow tree trunk. All for One had discovered the hatch long ago and was waiting ever so patiently behind a boulder near the hatch for his guests to arrive.

He then started to hear coughing coming from the hatch, not something he was expecting. He slowly inched closer to the hatch, going out from behind the large rock with a blade in hand and ready to either strike or defend himself. A couple moments later, the hatch door swung open but it wasn't the people he was expecting it to be.

It was a band of thieves, four of them actually. One of the thugs, Bakugo, looked steaming mad about his situation and was soaking wet. He climbed out of the hatch first, followed by Kirishima, Mina, and Sero. Bakugo had a glare on his face, his words starting off as a mumble. "I'll kill him…" He then stood up straight and growled out "I'll kill that Shouto!"

This interested All for One, of course, in that he as well as after the wanted criminal Shouto and had been prepared to kill him to get Izuku back just mere moments ago.

Kirishima walked up to Bakugo and patted him on the back, trying to get him to calm down a bit or at least think rationally "We'll cut him off at the kingdom. Then get back the crown, come on!" He spoke, Bakugo glared at him but then nodded angrily and started to move, the whole squad following behind him.

The next thing they knew, they were being called out to by a strange older man from atop a rock. "Hey!" He shouted at them. They all stopped in their tracks, turning back to the sound of the voice. All for One had a big smirk on his face and waited for their attention to speak again. "Perhaps you'd want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment."

All for One then held up the brown satchel he had found when scouring the towel for missing Izuku, found in the most familiar hiding place. Under the board of the first stair. The whole squad widened their eyes, Bakugo being the first one to draw his sword with the others followed right behind him.

All for One sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking down at them "There's no need for that," He spoke before throwing the satchel down to them. Sero was the first to grab it and try to open it, but Bakugo practically almost tackled him to see what was inside. The whole group was stunned at first when Bakugo pulled out the crown, but a collective smile slowly spread across their faces. All for One then started to turn around, waving his hand in the air at them.

"Well, if that's all you wanted then be on your way," He started to comment, "I was going to offer you something that was worth 5000 crowns and that wasn't even the best part." He then turned around completely, his face hidden from view. "But you enjoy your crown.."

This immediately intrigued Bakugo and the rest of the gang, Mina piping up in the back and asking "Well, what is it?", beating Bakugo to the punch. "What's the best part?"

All for One kept his back turned towards the group, hiding the smug grin that was plastered along his face "Well, it comes with revenge on Shouto…" He spoke, pulling the wanted poster out of his cloak and showing it to the thugs behind him.

The whole group widened their eyes, smirking as they looked at each other and gave one another a collective nod.

He knew he had got them now.

Shouto and Izuku had gotten settled for the night, finding a small cleared out area of the forest which allowed the both of them to have a log to sit on and a bright fire in front of them to warm them up from the lake. Once they were pretty much dry, Izuku looked to Shouto and looked up at him.

He then got the courage to speak before mumbling a soft "Um...your hand is injured, isn't it?" He asked softly looking down towards Shouto's hand and then back up at his eyes. Shouto looked down at his hand, just to check on the injury of his hand and note that it still was there. Shouto then nodded to Izuku, putting his and palm up to expose the cut.

Izuku looked at the cut for a good few seconds before grabbing Shouto's hand softly and carefully pulling it towards himself. The green-haired boy then looked up at Shouto with a meek smile on his face before giving him a small warning "Um...don't freak out..okay?"

This, of course, made Shouto feel nervous just from his words, but nonetheless, he swallowed thickly and looked to Izuku. He responded with a nod and a small "Okay,"

Izuku has a small smile on his face as Shouto had promised he wouldn't freak out. He then bowed his head, moving the other's hand up towards his soft and green hair.

Shouto couldn't help but take notice of the soft feeling of Izuku's hair, a light blush spreading across his face as he felt his fingers run through the strands of the boy's hair. He kept his hand still on his head though, not daring to move it after all of the suspense had Izuku been escalating with his nervous attitude and his secrecy.

Izuku gave one last nervous glance up to Shouto before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He then closed his eyes softly, gripping onto Shouto's hand and keeping it firmly placed on his hair.

" _Flower, gleam and glow…_

 _Let your power shine.._

 _Make the clock reverse.._

 _Bring back what once was mine.._

The green hair on Izuku's head began to turn a bright and glowing yellow from the roots of his scalp all the way up to the tips of the strands on his head. Shouto's whole body froze from the sight of it, having already seen it once but not having gotten used to it just yet.

" _Heal what has been hurt…_

 _Change the fate's design…_

 _Save what has been lost…_

 _Bring back what once was mine…"_

Tsu has seared herself on the log next to Izuku's thigh, looking up at Shouto to see his reaction. Shouto looked to the frog for some sort of reassurance but all he got was a small reassuring nod from her.

" _What once was mine…."_

Izuku had finished singing, the glow from his hair slowly started to subside and he had blinked his eyes open. He looked up at Shouto, a light blush covering his cheeks from the feeling of the other's hand on his head for more than was needed.

Shouto had been entranced for a second before realizing that Izuku was probably done with what he had planned to do. He pulled his hand away slowly, turning it over and looking for the wound that had been across his palm. His eyes widened when he saw that it had completely healed from placing his hand against Izuku's hand as it glowed.

He slowly turned his hand towards Izuku, showing that his palm was now completely free of any wounds or scrapes that might have happened from the rock. Izuku smiled softly at the success of his incantation, nodding slightly. "How…" the half and half haired boy questioned. "How long has your hair been able to do that?"

Izuku had a hint of red on his cheeks as he looked down at the forest floor, his hands intertwined in his lap. "Um...forever I guess…?" He bit his lip softly before continuing to explain his hair "My father says when I was a baby people tried to cut off my hair to use it but...once the hair is detached from my head it loses its' magic… So, they would just try to kidnap me instead. That's why father would never let me….that's why I never left and…" Izuku looked off to the side again, letting out a small and uneasy sigh as he sat next to Todoroki.

Shouto could see the discomfort in Izuku's face, so he scooted closer to him and replied with a soft question to try and get him to at least look him in the eyes. "So..you never left that tower…?" Izuku looked up at him with a guilty and hesitant smile on his face as Shouto continued. "And you're still going to go back..?"

Izuku shouted a quick response to him "No!" He widened his eyes and bit his lip with a conflicted look on his face "Yes." Izuku sighed in frustration, slumping his shoulders and hanging his head down "It's complicated…"

There was a small awkward pause in the air between the two, nothing but the sounds of crickets echoing in their ears. That was until Izuku spoke again, a small smile on his lips "So...your full name is Shouto Todoroki, huh?"

Shouto looked over towards him, moving his hand up to the back of his head and nodding softly before replying to Izuku "Yeah, it is…" He then realized something, mumbling it softly "You probably don't even know what having that last name means do you…?" Izuku shook his head softly. Shouto sighed. "Well, I'll save you the sob story." Izuku looked up at Shouto with a small pout on his lips, not speaking but silently pleasing for Shouto to tell his story.

"Fine...Then this is why my last name, Todoroki, is known by pretty much everyone."


	10. Chapter 10 - It's Yours

_All for One leisurely walked towards the big and burly man who was standing at the far side of the room. From the distance, he could see the man's bright red hair and red beard adorning his head and face. All key characteristics to the leader of the Todoroki family, Enji Todoroki. Though everyone called him by his alias, Endeavor._

" _I would like to propose a deal for you, Endeavor." All for One spoke out to him, composed and calm._

" _What is it?" Endeavor asked in a bemused voice, his back turned towards All for One and his arms crossed in front of his chest._

" _I will capture and bring your son back to you, alive, in exchange for the rose pendant." All for One clearly stated._

" _Pendant?"_

" _You know exactly the pendant I'm talking about, Endeavor."_

 _Endeavor had a small smirk play across his lips, turning around towards All for One. "I couldn't give the pendant to you even if I wanted to. I don't have it. Why would you want it anyway? It's just a piece of jewelry made from a black rose. I wouldn't peg you as the type to be so interested in it."_

" _If you don't have it, then who does?" All for One replied, adding on "And it's none of your concern why I want to possess it."_

 _Endeavor clicked his tongue slightly from the other's lack of explanation, but gave his response anyway. "I gave it to my son to watch over. You can have it after you bring him back here to me,"_

 _All for One grinned in response to his words, the menacing aura seeping through his lips and seeming to spread across the whole room._

" _We have ourselves a deal then."_

"My family is well known by everyone in the underground thieves along with the military within the kingdom, even with the royals themselves. We have a reputation for being exceptional thieves and a lot of people come to us to either steal from our target or to carry out other tasks.

My father is the one who's currently in charge of the whole operation, taking in other thieves and training them to become part of our band of thieves even though they weren't part of our family. They're like honorary members. My dad is a very confident and stuck up person who only really cares about his image, so he had his children become part of his legacy as well. Well...at least that's what the goal was.

He married my mom, who was part of another thief ring just for the purpose to have children. Including me, he has a total of four children. My two older brothers and my older sister. To my Dad, they didn't retain any of the skills that he was teaching them perfectly. 'They didn't get my genes' he says. But, because of my hair my father automatically assumed that I was perfect and he was partly right. For some reason I retained more of his knowledge for thievery and combat than my siblings did…So I became his trophy son.

He basically disowned my other siblings and focused on me, training me in his image to become his perfect son...Sometimes I think that it's my fault my siblings get treated like that, because I was so 'perfect' and I could learn new skills so easily...I hate everything my father had taught me, I wish I could just forget it all."

Izuku and Shouto sat in a heavy silence for the surrounding seconds, Shouto looking off to the side while Izuku looked a him with shock. It was interesting how Shouto came from a family full of thieves, but that didn't scare him in the slightest. If anything, Shouto's honesty made Izuku grow more fond of him.

The green haired boy reached and grabbed the other's hand, enveloping it in both of his own as he looked up at the person who was sitting right in front of him. "Well…" He began to speak nervously "I've been cooped up my whole life, so excuse me if I say something completely wrong but...it's yours isn't it? It's your own abilities and skills, no one else's. It doesn't matter if you got most of them from your father, because they're your own now. You shouldn't be a prisoner of your lineage,"

" _ **Don't be a prisoner of your lineage, my son,"**_

Shouto widened his eyes at Izuku's words, the reasoning Izuku had piercing through his mental barrier surrounding the subject. Shouto spoke out softly "That still doesn't change the fact he's my father and I'm required to work under him,"

"Then just refuse to do anything for him," Izuku responded with a smile solution.

"I can't do that...If I do that then my siblings and my mother would be in danger and susceptible to his anger and his power...there's no telling what could happen." Shouto retorted with a counter argument

"Well, then protect them," Izuku started suggesting "Protect them using the skills and the power you have. You're amazing, so I think you'd be able to do it." Izuku didn't notice he said the last part until a couple seconds after it came out of his lips. A blush spread across his cheeks before he glanced away from Shouto, avoiding eye contact while pulling his hands away.

Shouto felt his cheeks heat up slightly from Izuku's compliment, truly flattered by it. His words also seemed to seep deep into his head to, almost inspiring him now to do something about his situation. He saw Izuku flustered by his words, so he decided to comfort the other. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around Izuku gently, a small smile playing on his lips while he mumbled a soft "Thank you, Izuku…"

Izuku felt himself blushing even more from the contact, but quickly calmed down and relaxed from how warm and comforting Shouto seemed to be. He leaned into the hug, wrapping his arms around Shouto in return and replying back with a small. "Y...You're welcome"

The two pulled away from the hug looking at each other in the eyes, rather close to each other for a couple seconds before the two boys realized their closeness. They both pulled away, embarrassed with a small bush tinting their cheeks.

Shouto then started stuttering out "F...Firewood," He stood up from his seat on the log "I'll get us some more firewood."

Izuku was broken out of his trance by Shouto's words, nodding at his statement "O-Okay!" He replied, looking up at him and smiling "B...Be safe." Shouto nodded, turning his back towards Izuku before heading into the forest. It was silent for a few seconds, besides the sounds of bugs and the crackling of the fire that was burning bright in front of Izuku. That is, until someone broke the silence.

"Finally. I thought he would never leave."

Izuku widened his eyes and turned around quickly to find the person he was least expecting to see standing right behind him.

"Father…"


End file.
